Traveling in Asia during the summer can be summed up in one word: hot. During our visit to Seoul, the city experienced record-high temperatures, which resulted in a heat advisory. But with so little time in town, we knew we had to do our best to brave the heat.

On Sunday, we met up with some fellow MSU grads (one of which was a former colleague at our college newspaper) and their precious new baby for an epic brunch at the Four Seasons. She writes a wonderful blog called stepsinseoul about their life in the country as expats as well as their travels. Being able to share stories about life abroad with someone else who understands the ups and downs will never stop being therapeutic. Our brunch was a reminder the world is a lot smaller than we think and you never know when or how you’ll be brought back together with people from your recent or distant past. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we see them in Asia.

The sights we visited included Gyeongbokgung Palace, which dates back to 1395 as well as Jongmyo Shrine. In between were many spicy, delicious meals and plenty of shopping for beauty products at department stores like Lotte and local chain Olive Young. We got a lot done in a short amount of time, but I hope we can make it back some day to see even more of this beautiful country.

Children and their parents trying to stay cool on the boulevard in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

This boulevard features memorials to the country’s most celebrated national heroes.

The entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Incredible detail.

Guards allowed guests to take pictures with them.

We happened to be there just in time for the changing of the guard.

The procession headed into the main palace grounds and out of sight.

So. Much. Barbecue. Not mad about it.

Enjoying late-night music in the Cheonggyecheon River urban park, a converted highway turned into a recreation space.

Bearing the heat in search of the products on my beauty wish list (posting my haul tomorrow). Craig was a trooper.

I had an earlier flight back to Tokyo than Craig, so he made his way to Jongmyo Shrine, a Confucian shrine dedicated to the deceased kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty.

Always a good traveler, Craig joined a tour of the grounds to learn more about the shrine.

A statue outside the shrine that we’ve researched and come up empty…

The small wooden boxes in the background have holes drilled into them. Spirits reside in the boxes and can come and go. The brass bowls and pots are offerings to the spirits.

A gorgeous screen in one of the alcoves on the grounds of the shrine.

Here’s a carriage used to carry kings around the grounds of the shrine.

The main buildings were constructed in 1394.

Jongmyo was a place of worship for kings. Now there are rituals held here where songs are played to invite ancestral spirits.

The path walk for the souls. The higher ground in the middle of the path is reserved only for the king.

A sacred tree on the grounds of the shrine. You can make out a ghost’s face in the holes of the trunk.

A mystery mural behind the mystery statue.

This carnivore left very happy with a full belly. See you soon, Seoul.

I can’t believe it’s already been almost two weeks since we got back from Seoul. It was quite the whirlwind trip, but thanks to some excellent recommendations, we managed to see a lot in a small amount of time.

Today I’m sharing some snaps from two of our outings: Namsan Tower (also known as N Seoul Tower) and Gwangjang Market. The tower proved quite the journey, involving elevators, stairs, a cable car and plenty of walking, but it’s hard to argue with the incredible view at the top. Craig had Gwangjang Market at the top of his list. Night markets provide some of the best and cheapest eating — you just have to be brave and prepared to sweat over your bowl of noodles.

I’ll be back with the rest of our Seoul adventure tomorrow, which includes a lot more food and sights worth checking out in you can. Have a great day!

Getting ready to begin our journey up to Namsan Tower.

Cable cars are the type of hiking I prefer.

Before entering the tower, you can purchase a love lock to commemorate your visit.

Too many to count!

I love all the different colors.

Adding our love lock to celebrate our third wedding anniversary.

The view from the top observation deck. Seoul is much more green than Tokyo.

My favorite travel partner.

The Gwangjang Market was partially closed, but it still didn’t disappoint.

We had quite the busy but wonderful visit to Seoul last week and I have lots of photos to edit, but I couldn’t wait to share some more snaps from my phone. Kicking things off is a shot of the Avenue of Youth, a popular shopping street in the Jongno-gu area. Beauty shops, bars and boutiques abound here, making it the perfect place for a night out.

The trip included plenty of work, but we managed to fit in as much sightseeing as possible. And the food. Oh boy. We loved the rich, spicy and savory flavors of the food we tried in Seoul and it made us realize we need to find more Korean eateries here in Tokyo for when those inevitable cravings hit.

I’ll be sharing a full roundup of pics from Seoul this week, so check back!

At long last, a new batch of happy sights! No surprise at all, there’s a lot of food in here. I just love exploring my city by checking out local spots and tasting delicacies I’ve never had before. An errand also took me back to a neighborhood I hadn’t visited in a while which is home to a bakery that inspired one of my very first blog posts.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t been able to blog as much as I would like to, but this little outing reminded me how much this space helped me adjust to and celebrate my new home. I look forward to sharing even more happy sights from Tokyo and beyond.

I also recently enjoyed my first afternoon tea at the Aman Tokyo. I joined a wonderful group of ladies for a much needed afternoon of chat and delicious food. Just check out those scones above. In short, I tried clotted cream. I. GET. IT. NOW. I love tea — a love that’s only grown since moving to Asia — and I think it’s safe to say I get why people love this tradition so much. Let these pics inspire you to find a place nearby to enjoy afternoon tea with your friends — it’s like sugar-filled therapy.

Think about the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Maybe a meal that you wish you could repeat over and over again. I had one such meal last week and it nearly sent me running into the street to grab innocent passersby to drag them into this restaurant to eat what I’d eaten.

On our last night in Kurashiki, Craig and I took the recommendation of his coworker and made our way to Mokuan, a surprisingly large restaurant with a rustic interior close to our hotel. From the pictures we saw online, the food looked good, but we had no idea what kind of culinary sorcery we were in for. I mean, this is a meal I still haven’t stopped thinking about and I’m sure there’s some kind of voodoo magic behind it.

Before our meal, we took a stroll through the historic quarter of Kurashiki. Walking among the beautifully kept buildings was a relaxing trip back in time. Many house restaurants, cafes and shops selling a variety of goods. I only wish we’d spent more time there, but that could have gotten expensive and I only brought a small suitcase.

Many restaurants in Japan offer course menus to allow you to sample a variety of their best dishes. Every time we’ve selected this option, it’s proven well worth it. In the case of Mokuan’s offerings, we tasted so many familiar foods in exciting new ways and for about $30 a person. The image you see above was the second-to-last course. You put some rice into your bowl and added any of the toppings from the tray, which included nori, pickles and roe. Once you garnished to your heart’s desire, you added tea. That’s right, tea. The tea adds a subtle, earthy flavor that’s the definition of umami.

I hope the images below don’t make you too hungry, but rather serve as a reminder to always go for the recommendation of a local when looking for amazing eats.

It certainly has been a busy couple of weeks and Craig and I have been doing our best to make the most of the weekends. We recently explored Chinatown in Yokohama in celebration of my half birthday (when it’s the last year of your 20s, you get to celebrate half birthdays in my book). And just this week were in Kurashiki, which is the furthest south we’ve traveled on Honshu, the main island.

Enjoy some of the happy sights from the past couple of weeks that made me smile, starting with this gorgeous garden in Yokohama. More to come this weekend!

Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) will never get old.

Shanghai-style xiao long boa, which were mighty tasty but mighty difficult to eat.

No Chinatown trip would be complete without Peking duck and this one was just a part of a far-too-big spread that left us wattling home.

Discovering the ancient in Kurashiki.

It’s an honor to be invited into someone’s home to share a meal and no better way to learn from each other. We were lucky to begin our trip to Kurashiki with such a warm welcome.

One of the first questions I’m always asked about living in Japan is, “Do you like Japanese food?” My answer isn’t so simple.

Japanese food celebrates ingredients in their purest form as much as possible. This cuisine isn’t heavy on spices (i.e. chilies) or sauces, necessarily, but that doesn’t mean it’s bland. Japanese cooking utilizes a range of techniques to enhance the natural flavor of foods and make them taste a good as possible. That being said, if you’re someone who doesn’t care for or just isn’t used to the taste of a certain protein or vegetable, Japanese food can be unexpectedly intense.

As someone who likes spices and grew up on American food which is, sadly, loaded with sugar, salt and fat, traditional Japanese food took some getting used to. There are certain tastes and textures I still can’t get into (natto, no thank you), but above all, I have immense respect for Japanese cuisine and it’s ability to be both incredibly simple (the number of ingredients used) and incredibly complex (the flavor) at the same time. I’ve become a sticky rice snob and would gladly take nigiri over a California roll any day. I’ve had some ramen-eating moments that were down right religious, my friends.

Nowhere is traditional Japanese food better on display than during kaiseki, which is a multi-course meal. These meals have an ebb and flow that showcase the best local ingredients in a variety of cooking styles. I had the pleasure of enjoying kaiseki at Hotel Sakurai during my visit to Kusatsu Onsen and every course was more dazzling than the last. The immense care put into the presentation of each course was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was like an intricately choreographed dance. I just wish I hadn’t eaten lunch.

If you want to learn more about kaiseki, I recommend checking out the episode of Netflix’s documentary series Chef’s Table featuring Chef Niki Nakayama of n/naka (that restaurant is now at the top of my food bucket list). And if you have the chance to enjoy kaiseki, don’t pass up the opportunity for this truly unique culinary experience.

While I wish I hadn’t had to enjoy this meal solo (Craig and to head back to Tokyo for work), I didn’t stay upset for long. Check out that menu on the right — totally had to use my phone to transcribe so I would know what was coming next. This was the first course, featuring six different cold bites and some sake.

The most beautiful sashimi. Can you spot the cucumber frog?

Hot and cold seafood dishes, the one on the left being similar to a ceviche. I’ve never had so many different types of seafood in one meal.

This soup featured shark fin and goji berries.

Some gorgeous beef, tofu and veggies for cooking in hot broth (located in that silver container you see in the second image). They lit it as I was finishing the course before. The green condiment on the right is yuzu pepper and boy did I take too much of that at first.

The final two courses (I forgot to photograph some cedar-roasted salmon and chicken, sorry) and the point in which I was ready to explode. I love Japanese pickles and the fresh fruit was the perfect way to end the meal.

Happy Monday! It’s Memorial Day in the U.S. and just this past Friday our commander in chief made a historic visit to Japan. Craig and I had a pretty insane week work wise, but I’m excited to have a new project to share with you soon. My happy sights for the week kick off with the farmers’ market we recently discovered in our new neighborhood. Can’t wait to check it out again.

Almond latte. Hello, new afternoon pick-me-up.

Finally made it to Urth Caffe. Devoured this taco bowl and that frozen strawberry lemonade is going to become a bad habit.

May has been quite a month. After being sick last week, I started a new work project. Needless to say, it’s been hectic. Thankfully, this weekend Craig and I are headed to Kusatsu Onsen for some exploration, sightseeing and — hopefully — a bit of sleep. I’ll be sharing snaps from our mini trip soon so check back.

It was time to get back out there. Craig and I haven’t been the best tourists in our own town lately, but this weekend, we made it to the Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival and enjoyed a sunny afternoon of food and flowers.

I look forward to the opening of the azalea bushes every year. They seem to be all over Tokyo and, just like the cherry blossoms, they all seem to magically open on the same day. Our old street was lined with azalea bushes and I would wake up one morning, look out the window and see the whole road lined in bright pink. Thankfully, these guys stick around a lot longer than the sakura.

Festivals in Japan are never short on good food and this one at the Nezu Shrine (which is known for having a hillside covered in azalea bushes) was no exception. From sweet to savory, we tried anything that looked good and weren’t disappointed.

Visitors wait their turn to say a prayer.

A beautiful koi pond completed the scene.

Who wears all black to a festival of pink? This girl. But I did go for pink lipstick, so that counts.

So much pink Himalayan sea salt. One of my favorite cooking ingredients.